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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27250330">The Haunting of Crowley Manor</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/unspokenfaith/pseuds/unspokenfaith'>unspokenfaith</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Outer Banks (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, F/M, Halloween, Implied Sexual Content, Mystery, Pining, Suspense, Underage Drinking, basically anything that can go wrong does go wrong, in which JJ and Kie's communication skills are severely lacking, the Pogues being little detectives</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:13:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,017</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27250330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/unspokenfaith/pseuds/unspokenfaith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After spending the night with JJ, going to Sarah's Halloween party at an abandoned, and allegedly haunted, Kook mansion is not high on Kiara's list of things she wants to be doing. When the Pogues do some exploring, what they find is unsettling at best. Even amidst all the pandemonium, Kiara would really just like to clear the air.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>JJ &amp; Kiara &amp; Pope (Outer Banks), JJ &amp; Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks), Sarah Cameron &amp; JJ &amp; Kiara &amp; Pope &amp; John B. Routledge, minor John B/Sarah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Haunting of Crowley Manor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I just had to write something for Halloween because haunted houses and costume parties are too fun. I'm a big fan of Alfred Hitchcock films so if this feels semi-Hitchcockesque then that is why. Hope you enjoy! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Standing in an old, deserted house on the outskirts of Figure Eight with dozens of Kooks and Pogues intermingling, decked out in costume—and all Kiara could think about was JJ.</p><p>She'd never admit it, though. Not to him anyway.</p><p>Sleeping with JJ wasn’t something she necessarily planned on doing, even when they were both highly intoxicated. She couldn’t say it’s something she never thought about—that would be a lie. Actually doing it was a different story. The trouble wasn’t making sense of how or why it happened, but whether it should’ve happened at all. This wasn’t exactly a new thing for JJ, or Kiara for that matter, but the two of them together were crossing uncharted territory. </p><p>Seeing as it only just occurred the previous night, this only complicated things more. Kiara liked to think that under normal circumstances, when their next interaction wasn’t at a Halloween party, they would’ve talked about it privately. But since their next interaction <em> was </em> going to be at a Halloween party, surrounded by familiar and unfamiliar faces alike, she wasn’t sure what to expect from him when he showed up. </p><p>She even thought about sending him a text earlier this morning after she woke up—drafted it all out—before quickly realizing what a stupid mistake that would’ve been. For better or worse, JJ wasn’t just some guy (or girl, really) she spent the night with after a party at the Boneyard. </p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” Sarah asked, having just joined her by the keg. Kiara was already on her third drink of the night, and they only arrived half an hour ago. </p><p>“Yeah, you?” Kiara downed the rest of the mysterious liquid in her cup.</p><p>Sarah’s eyes shifted from Kiara’s cup to her face, lips pursed. </p><p>“Oh, you know. Just trying to find out who half these people are that I didn’t invite.”</p><p>“Why don’t you just kick them out?”</p><p>Sarah laughed. “Yeah, that will go well.”</p><p>“I’ll do it if you want,” Kiara said, then pointed to her own face, which was intricately made-over Jennifer’s Body demon style. “This should do the job.”</p><p>“You scared the shit out of me. That’s for sure. I thought your face was falling off or something.”</p><p>“Well, that was the goal,” she said with a smile. “So where’s your Danny Zuko?”</p><p>“Uh...around here somewhere. I just had him,” Sarah said, turning around to scan the room, then freezing on the spot. “Shit! He’s with Topper. I’ll be right back.”</p><p>Kiara was once again left alone with the keg, and she was more than okay with that. A boy dressed as a cowboy stumbled over, gawking at her mouth. Under other circumstances, she would’ve chided anyone who looked at her like that, but she knew her make-up and “bloody” dress were doing wonders with maintaining her personal space bubble. Sometimes she would smile, too, just in case anyone was being particularly stubborn.</p><p>Absent-mindedly, she checked the time on her phone. Little white numbers read 9:36 PM. Still no sign of JJ or Pope. </p><p>There was a loud chorus of enthusiastic screams when “Thriller” bounced off the walls, as Kiara made her way through the crowd, clutching her cup. She caught a whiff of weed somewhere in the room, and instinctively turned her head. A couple guys, most likely freshmen, wore grins as they passed a joint around a circle of girls dressed as various sexualized animals. </p><p>Aside from whatever disagreement transpiring between John B and Topper, Kiara had to hand it to Sarah for managing to throw a party where there was no Kook-on-Pogue conflict. The fact that everyone was wearing costumes and masks might have had something to do with it. Still, it was a nice change to how large gatherings like this usually played out. </p><p>Then again, the night was still young.</p><p>Finally, Kiara felt her phone buzz in her hand. It was Pope.</p><p>“Hey! Where are you guys?”</p><p>“Not far,” Pope said. “JJ’s….like….safe…”</p><p>“Hang on. I can’t hear anything you’re saying,” Kiara said, shoving her finger into her other ear and walking up the stairs to the landing. </p><p>“I said JJ’s driving like a maniac and I don’t feel safe in this car.”</p><p>“Is he high?”</p><p>She thought she heard JJ’s laughter, but couldn’t make out anything he said.</p><p>“Might be.”</p><p>Kiara groaned. “How far are you?”</p><p>“Pulling into the driveway right now.”</p><p>“Thank God.”</p><p>When she hung up, she dropped her phone. Leaning down to pick it up, she started to feel dizzy—the aftermath of three drinks finally punching her in the gut. </p><p>Kiara grabbed the edge of a table to pull herself up. On the top were a collection of old framed photographs, collecting dust. She found it rather odd that there were still personal belongings in the house, but then she remembered what Sarah told her. The Crowleys moved out a long time ago, but maintained ownership. Rose Cameron’s father was their real estate agent, and they had been trying to sell it for years with little luck. Some ridiculous story about how it’s been haunted since the death of a family member. Realistically, Kiara thought it was just a bad location and value for the price it was listed at. Well-off families moving to the Outer Banks could find much better houses on Figure Eight than this one, which quite literally sat in the middle of nowhere. So while the family was gone, along with most of their things, this was still technically their house—even if they hadn’t lived in it for ages.</p><p>In a decrepit place like this, she was expecting black and white photos with women in long dresses and men with bushy mustaches, but Kiara had to remind herself that the family would’ve been here some time in the 90s. As much as that felt like a lifetime ago to her, in reality it was eerily recent. </p><p>One frame held a wedding shot, which could only be of Mr. and Mrs. Crowley. They both had round faces and warm eyes. Kiara was always skeptical of the idea that people marry someone who looks exactly like them, but this photo said otherwise. Another showed the couple a little older, with their son—Alex? Owen?—playing in the sandbox with a headless action figure. And another where the boy was older now, wearing a plaid collared shirt and thin-lipped smile. He looked like the kind of kid who would’ve sat alone on the playground, drawing in the dirt with sticks, and who was too young to feel the sting of embarrassment. </p><p>Suddenly, Kiara felt a pair of arms around her waist. Intuitively, she screamed and elbowed whoever was behind her in the ribs. When they let go and she turned around, she nearly screamed again.</p><p>“Ow! What the hell, Kie?” JJ’s voice came from behind the terrifying scarecrow mask as he stood doubled over, clutching his stomach.</p><p>“I’m not talking to you until you take that thing off,” she said, folding her arms.</p><p>JJ complied, and then gaped at the sight of her.</p><p>“What the hell are you supposed to be? Corpse bride?”</p><p>“Have you ever seen Jennifer’s Body?”</p><p>JJ squinted at her. “Me? I don’t think I know a Jennifer. Have you?”</p><p>Kiara rolled her eyes, resting her arm on the railing to steady herself. “Never….never mind.”</p><p>“You look like you’re having fun.” The moonlight shining through the window reflected in his eyes.</p><p>“So do you.”</p><p>“Could be more fun, though.” JJ slid his hand along the banister until his fingers met hers, locking them together.</p><p>Somewhere in the back of her mind, rational thoughts were begging to be heard. But right now all she could concentrate on was the feeling of his skin on hers, the slightest touch spreading a pleasant warmth through her body.</p><p>“You know I hate scarecrows,” she said, as he took a step closer.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“That’s why you dressed as one. I never should’ve told you that story.”</p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I thought we were doing a Wizard of Oz theme.”</p><p>“Right, and I suppose Pope is the Tin Man.”</p><p>He stared at her mouth. “Mhm, yeah.”</p><p>“So if I go down there, will I see Pope wearing a tin foil hat or something?” She grinned.</p><p>“Yeah.” JJ was smiling now, too, his face so close the smell of weed overpowered her senses.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>His lips drifted over hers—a ghost of a touch—and she left all sense duck into the back corners of her mind, where it was unlikely to return for some time. Any distance left between them was occupied by JJ’s body moving closer until she was against the wall. All she could think about was when she would feel his bare skin on hers again, the sound of his voice when he said her name in a way she never heard from him before.</p><p>“Hey, guys, come check this out!”</p><p>Pope, a beacon of sanity, brought JJ and Kiara to a halt—hopefully before he saw anything. His voice came from the second floor; he must’ve come up the other staircase. That, or she completely missed Pope’s appearance somewhere between JJ’s piercing blue eyes and his hands on her hips.</p><p>Kiara said nothing to JJ, didn’t even look at him when she climbed the stairs and stood in the doorway Pope had been poking his head out of, though she heard his footsteps follow her. </p><p>As soon as she reached the top, her nostrils filled with a musty scent that made her eyes water. It was like walking into JJ’s house for the first time, surrounded by dirty socks and empty beer bottles scattered across the floor. Any other parent would’ve been embarrassed by the state of the place, but all things considered, Luke Maybank wasn’t exactly a parent. </p><p>This was entirely different. For one thing, there wasn’t a sock or bottle in sight. For another, there were no visible signs that anyone lived in this room in a long time. The bed had sheets and covers, but was neatly made. There was nothing on the nightstand aside from a lamp that Pope must’ve turned on—odd that it was still working, though. Long navy curtains were drawn over the only window. It was a small room, or at least in contrast to the rest of the house. Judging by the size of the furniture, Kiara guessed it was the little boy’s room. </p><p>“It smells like shit in here. What is that?” JJ scrunched his nose, waving the air with his hand.</p><p>“Don’t know. I thought that was you. Come see this,” Pope said. He kneeled down in front of a desk with the drawer open.</p><p>“I don’t smell <em> that </em>bad!” He looked to Kiara for confirmation, but she moved to peek over Pope’s shoulder. He donned ripped clothing and a scarred face. The future forensic pathologist dressed as a zombie—no irony there.</p><p>He held a torn newspaper clipping dated October 21, 1991. The headline read: <b> <em>Kildare County Family Under Scrutiny for Staffing Mishap</em></b>. An accompanying photo pictured the very house they were all currently sitting in. Kiara tried to focus, but none of the words were making sense. Luckily, there was someone sober in the room. </p><p>“<em>A</em><em>my Blythe, who worked part-time in the Crowley family’s kitchen, was rushed to the hospital earlier this month after suffering from food poisoning. She later claimed that the only thing she ate hours prior was a cookie that the Crowleys’ seven year old son offered her,</em>” Pope read.</p><p>“Damn,” JJ said. “I couldn’t even make cereal when I was seven.”</p><p>“Shh!” Pope said. “<em>Mr. and Mrs. Crowley apologized on behalf of their son, promising that he’s ‘a good kid’ and ‘would never do such a thing on purpose</em>.’”</p><p>JJ laughed. “That’s what they say about all the serial killers.”</p><p>“JJ, he was a <em> kid</em>!” Kiara said.</p><p>He shrugged. “They’re all kids at some point, aren’t they?”</p><p>“<em>More recently, the Crowleys’ gardener Jonathan Gibbs was also hospitalized after an unfortunate incident with the lawn mower.</em>”</p><p>“Oh, shit!” JJ said.</p><p>“<em>Gibbs alleged that he was tending to the gardens in the backyard, wearing headphones, when he was knocked over and severely injured with the lawn mower </em>—”</p><p>“Let me guess…” Kiara said.</p><p>“—<em>operated by Aaron Crowley.</em>”</p><p>“Is Aaron the son?” JJ asked.</p><p>“Yup,” Pope said.</p><p>JJ threw his arms up in the air. “What’d I tell you? The kid’s a psychopath!”</p><p>“There’s no way a seven year old could’ve done all this intentionally,” Pope said.</p><p>“Thank you!” Kiara said.</p><p>“How do you accidentally almost kill someone with a lawn mower?” JJ asked.</p><p>“Did you know how to use a lawn mower when you were seven?” Kiara replied, raising a brow.</p><p>“Well, no...but he knew how to turn it on, didn’t he?”</p><p>“Guys, there’s more,” Pope said, flipping through the papers in the drawer. </p><p>Much like the photographs on the stair landing, Kiara found it strange that a stack of newspapers of all things were left in an abandoned house. Presumably, they were trivial to the family and left without much thought. If this was really Aaron Crowley’s room, he would’ve grown up and gone to college. He probably didn’t even live here anymore when his parents moved out. </p><p>“This one’s 1992,” Pope continued. “<em>Crowley Family Found Innocent in Case of Unintentional Tort.” </em></p><p>“The hell does that mean?” JJ asked.</p><p>“It means these were accidents,” Kiara said. “Obviously.”</p><p>“Are you shitting me? If that kid knew how to bake cookies and use a lawn mower, then he knew how to kill someone.”</p><p>“Uh, if I may offer some insight here,” Pope said. “Cookies and murder are two very different things.”</p><p>JJ was pacing the room now, the floorboards creaking under his weight with each step. Very reassuring.</p><p>“Not if you’re a little demon child!” JJ said, then pulled out his phone. “I’m going to find a picture of this.”</p><p>“Of what?” Kiara asked.</p><p>“The lawn mower thing. I bet you anything that guy posted a picture somewhere, because no one would believe him. What did they all have in the 90s? Myspace?”</p><p>She was losing the energy to argue with JJ, so she fell back back to sit on the bed, letting her feet dangle over the floor. Pope continued sifting through papers with intense curiosity. JJ held his phone right in front of his eyes, scratching his forehead. He made eye contact with her briefly, biting his tongue in concentration before turning his attention back to his screen. </p><p>A chill sent shivers down her shoulders, and it took her a moment to realize it must’ve been coming from the window.</p><p>“Hey, was that open before?” she asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I think so,” Pope said, but didn’t look up from the drawer.</p><p>“Holy shit, guys! You have to see this!” JJ said, holding his phone up. “His whole foot is, like, coming off his leg. I think you can see his bone.”</p><p>Pope finally turned around, eyes widened. “Why would we want to see that?”</p><p>“I’m going to close this,” Kiara said, standing up to walk over to the window. When she pulled it shut, there was a loud thud from somewhere above them.</p><p>“Dude, this Aaron guy is a documentary waiting to happen,” JJ said. “He died from the flu when he was eight. Literally months after all that went down. And not a word about it from the parents? I call bullshit.”</p><p>“Shut up!” Pope said, jumping up. “Did you guys hear that?”</p><p>“Yeah, it was the window,” Kiara said, shrugging. “Shook the whole room. This house is old as shit, so I’m not surprised.”</p><p>“No, it was coming from over here, I think.” He pushed open the closet door, which screeched so loud Kiara covered her ears. </p><p>“Geez, they need to oil this place. No wonder it didn’t sell,” JJ said.</p><p>Pope peeked in, looking up and down. Kiara was surprised he even got that far. Walking towards the mysterious, unknown sound was so uncharacteristically Pope. In a weird way, she was sort of proud of him.</p><p>“Aaron, if you’re in there, you better come out!” JJ shouted.</p><p>“Will you shut up?” Kiara said.</p><p>“I know what you did, you little shit!”</p><p>“There’s a door up there or something,” Pope said, backing away slowly. Any swell of courage he had was gone now.</p><p>“What, like on the ceiling?” she asked.</p><p>“Perfect! A creepy attic. This kid is so predictable. Let’s go look,” JJ said, rubbing his hands together.</p><p>“Are you nuts?” Pope raised his voice, but JJ ignored him. Pushing empty hangers aside, he reached up to grab the string hanging from the ceiling, pulling until the door came down. Then he unfolded the ladder and, without hesitation, started climbing.</p><p>“Let’s just go,” Kiara said. “Can’t be that scary.”</p><p>“For the record, I think this is a bad idea,” Pope said, but followed her up the ladder anyway. </p><p>“God, the smell is even worse up here!” She plugged her nose, blinking the tears away. </p><p>Pope waved his arms around, swatting flies. “Not this.”</p><p>“JJ, where are you going?”</p><p>He dodged boxes and bins, walking past the point the light from below reached. As skeptical as she was about everything JJ said, Kiara was beginning to feel a little uneasy about all of this.</p><p>“JJ, please come back!” Kiara cried.</p><p>“Bro, we can’t see you anymore,” Pope said.</p><p>“Holy fuck!” JJ yelled. “Guys, I think there’s—”</p><p>And then the power went out.</p><p>“Great! Just what we needed!” Pope said.</p><p>“Probably some kid down there trying to mess with everyone,” Kiara said, but she couldn’t help the nervous edge to her voice.</p><p>“Guys, I swear to God there’s a dead body in here,” JJ said from somewhere on the other side of the room.</p><p>Without the light from the bedroom, Kiara couldn’t see past her own nose. She and Pope hadn’t traveled far from the door, but now she was afraid that any step would land her with a broken leg.</p><p>“We’re going to die,” Pope said, as if it was completely inevitable.</p><p>“Will you stop?” Kiara said, then yelled, “JJ, just follow our voices back over here, okay?”</p><p>“No, you guys have to come look at this!”</p><p>“Look at what? In case you haven’t noticed, the power is out!” Pope shouted.</p><p>“JJ, please! Come!” </p><p>For whatever reason, JJ broke into a fit of laughter. One of these days, Kiara was going to cut him off of weed forever.</p><p>“That...that sounds familiar.” He was practically wheezing at this point.</p><p>It took her a moment to figure out what he could possibly mean by that, but when she did, her face burned. Now, she was actually thankful that all the lights were out.</p><p>“I fucking hate you,” she whispered sharply.</p><p>“Wait…” Pope finally caught on. “Don’t tell me...did you guys hook up? Like actually did—”</p><p>“Well, you see Pope,” JJ said. “When two people like each other—”</p><p>“You better hope we actually do die right now, because if we don’t, I’m killing you once we’re out of here,” Kiara spat.</p><p>“I don’t know which way is worse, to be honest,” JJ said.</p><p>“I need time to process this,” Pope said. She was sure his head was in his hands. Leave it to Pope to be the least involved but somehow most embarrassed. “You know what? I’m going to see what’s going on down there.”</p><p>“<em>See</em>?” Everything was funny to JJ now. He was lucky to be far away from Kiara. “Good luck with that.”</p><p>“Thanks.” She heard Pope shuffling his feet across the floor, and eventually lowering himself onto the ladder.</p><p>The only thing Kiara wanted all day was to be alone with JJ so they could talk, but now that she was alone with JJ, she really wished she wasn’t. Nothing she planned on saying to him felt quite right, especially now that he let the cat out of the bag in the crudest way possible. Mostly, she hadn’t considered until now that JJ might not even want to talk about it. Maybe everything that happened last night didn’t linger on his mind like it did on hers. Maybe he was ready to just move on from it all. </p><p>Maybe if she was sober, she would’ve been, too.</p><p>“So is that all you’re really going to say about last night?”</p><p>“What?” JJ said.</p><p>“We don’t even talk about it, and you just go and make a big joke out of it?”</p><p>“Kie, I…” His voice lowered. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“I know you’re super high right now, and I probably wouldn’t be saying any of this either, but I guess I just want to know…”</p><p>“Shit!” JJ said. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”</p><p>“What? What happened?” she asked, trying not to sound irritated.</p><p>“I just stepped on the dead body. Fuck it, I’m out of here.”</p><p>Kiara heard him move closer, knocking things over in the process. He kept cursing under his breath, providing her with another indication of where he was in the room. She couldn’t remember the last time JJ was this shaken, but she also knew how quickly he jumped to conclusions. With the power out, he could’ve stepped on anything. </p><p>“Be careful, please,” she said. </p><p>Eventually, he slowed down. She guessed he was close enough now that she could’ve reached out and touched him, but then she heard him get down on all fours and crawl. The squeak of the ladder told her that he finally made it, so she followed the sound, cautious with each step.</p><p>Slowly sliding her foot out, she felt the floor disappear beneath her, so she quickly pulled back and knelt down to climb down the ladder. It was only after she was back on solid ground that she remembered she had her phone on her.</p><p>“JJ!” Kiara yelled, turning the flashlight on. She could hear everyone downstairs screaming and running around—seemed like a vast overreaction to a power outage. The uneasy feeling in her stomach grew beyond suppression. </p><p>“JJ! Where are you?”</p><p>Directing her phone around the room, the blue light shone on a face in the corner of the room. Dark hollow pits for eyes, patchy grey skin, and a stitched smile. She screamed, dropping her phone, before she came to her senses. </p><p>“JJ, I told you to take that thing off,” she said, reaching down to feel around for her phone. Once she retrieved it, she felt two arms wrap around her waist. With her light back, she saw the sleeves of his plaid shirt, and slapped his hand away.</p><p>“Would you cut that out? You already scared the shit out of me, okay?”</p><p>But when Kiara stood up and turned around, JJ was gone. Probably already in his next hiding spot, waiting to jump out at her again. Shining the light in front of her, she walked out to the hallway, overlooking the party downstairs. </p><p>The chaos progressed into a line of people rushing out the front door. Kiara heard something else down there, but it was drowned out by all of the screaming. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve said it sounded like something was being sawed. </p><p>“John B!” She spotted him when she reached the bottom of the stairs. He turned around, discombobulated, then rushed over when he saw her.</p><p>“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Kiara tried to yell over the rapidly dwindling crowd.</p><p>“No idea! I can’t see or hear anything with all of this,” he said. “Sarah went downstairs to check the power. Where’s JJ and Pope?”</p><p>“I thought they’d be with you,” she said, panic trimming her voice. “I just saw JJ upstairs, but then he left.”</p><p>“They’re probably here somewhere.”</p><p>A blood-curdling scream came from somewhere in the room, followed by the loud buzz of a chainsaw. Kiara whipped her phone around, shining it in every direction, but all she could see were dozens of people running every which way, shoving others aside to reach the closest door or window first. Then there was another ear-splitting cry, and what came next was enough to send even her running.</p><p>Wherever the chainsaw was coming from, its humming was muffled by the nauseating sound of steel cutting into flesh and with a loud crack, eventually bone. Kiara didn’t realize she was tearing up until she felt John B took her hand, pulling her through the tight cluster of fearful party guests. </p><p>The sequence repeated in the same exact order, a scream, the saw, flesh. Another scream, the saw, flesh. When they reached the front door, Kiara was beginning to think something was very off, aside from the obvious. If someone really was running around the house with a chainsaw, why did all the screams sound exactly the same?</p><p>The same deafening shriek stopped midway and a few seconds later the power came on. Then Pope came rushing up from the basement, out of breath. </p><p>“False alarm, everyone!” he said. “There’s no ax murderer in the house!”</p><p>Only about a dozen people were still in the room, all exchanging confused glances, and throwing nervous glances over their shoulders. They left calmly, as if nothing happened—which apparently was true.</p><p>“Then what the hell is going on?” Kiara said.</p><p>“It was Rafe. Sarah’s down there with him now. Some elaborate, twisted joke of his.”</p><p>“I’m going to see if she needs help,” John B said, running down the stairs.</p><p>“Hey, was JJ with you?” she asked.</p><p>“No...I thought he was with you still,” Pope said.</p><p>“Shit,” Kiara said, biting her lip as she looked around the room. There was a good chance he was still upstairs, like she originally thought, but there’s no way he wouldn’t have heard everything that happened down here.</p><p>She wasn’t sure why she was still so tense. Pope cleared the air; there was nothing to be concerned about anymore. Still, she couldn’t shake the anxious stream of consciousness coursing through her mind.</p><p>As if on cue, JJ came running through the back door. </p><p>“I did it! I turned the power back on,” he said.</p><p>“No, that was me actually,” Pope said.</p><p>“What are you talking about? I was just outside and I found the service panel—”</p><p>“The service panel is in the basement, JJ. Not sure what you were looking at.”</p><p>“Okay. Well...the power’s back on!” JJ threw his arms up in a celebratory manner. </p><p>Kiara crossed her arms, glaring at him. He caught on immediately.</p><p>“Uh oh. What did I do, Kie?” </p><p>“Don’t do that,” she said. “That little stunt you pulled upstairs was not funny! I told you to take that mask off and—”</p><p>“Wait, wait, wait. What are you talking about?”</p><p>“What, do you suddenly have short-term memory loss?”</p><p>“Kie, I haven’t worn that mask since you told me to take it off,” JJ said. She knew by the changed tone of his voice that he was being completely serious. “I don’t even know where it is.”</p><p>She felt like someone just punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her, and her heart was beating in her throat. An image jumped into her mind of a plaid shirt in a picture frame—had to be a coincidence. </p><p> As if things couldn’t get worse, a police siren blared in the distance, getting closer. </p><p>JJ groaned. “Those shitheads just <em> had </em> to call the cops, didn’t they?”</p><p>“Maybe because we all had good reason to think we were going to die,” Kiara said.</p><p>“Guys, let’s go!” Pope waved them towards the back door.</p><p>Kiara followed, but they both stopped right in the frame, turning around. JJ’s feet were planted firmly to the floor.</p><p>“JJ, come on!” Kiara said. “They would’ve heard it downstairs, too. They’ll be fine.”</p><p>He looked like he wanted to argue, but his self-preservation instincts kicked in. Besides, if anyone could escape the police, it was John B. </p><p>They didn’t stop until they reached the end of the hedges closing off the gardens. Past that point was only woods, where the cops weren’t likely to search. One by one, they scaled the bushes and ran into the trees, out of light’s reach, where hopefully they could stay until the police finished their investigation. When they settled, she could've sworn she heard a rustle in the bushes nearby, as though they weren't the only ones hiding out here. She tried not to think about it too much.</p><p>“Shit!” JJ said, punching the tree he was hiding behind.</p><p>“What?” Pope asked.</p><p>“The cars! They’re all still in the driveway.”</p><p>Kiara groaned, glancing behind her own tree back towards the house, biting her lip. “We can probably make it if we run, like right now.”</p><p>“Are you crazy?” Pope said incredulously.</p><p>Apparently she was, because Kiara was already bolting, and she heard JJ close on her tail. She was counting on Pope’s common sense to bring him to his feet, too. </p><p>Somewhere in the near distance the siren continued wailing, approaching closer and more boisterous with every step. Her own breath, and that of the boys behind her, pounded in her ears. When they reached the front of the house, they found John B and Sarah rushing towards the cars.</p><p>“Guys! Hey!” Kiara yelled. “What happened?”</p><p>“Not much,” Sarah said, out of breath. “Can’t exactly do anything when, like, a hundred minors shouldn’t have been in there drinking anyway.”</p><p>“We took care of him,” John B said, which Kiara presumed meant he gave Rafe a good shiner.</p><p>“Can we save the catch-up for when we get the fuck out of here?” JJ said, glancing over his shoulder. </p><p>“Right. Yeah,” John B said, climbing into his van, Sarah getting in the passenger’s seat. Pope, who arrived with JJ, got into the back with them.</p><p>“Really, Pope? You’re going to leave me hanging like that?”</p><p>JJ was in his new truck—or at least, it was new to him. Previously owned by Bobby from the salvage yard, gifted to JJ as an 18th birthday “present” for the extremely low price of $45. And it really showed, as far as Kiara was concerned. She avoided it at all costs.</p><p>“Just drop it. I’ll go with you, okay?” Kiara said, getting in before she could talk herself out of it. “If you don’t get me home in one piece, I will—”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. I know,” he said, starting the engine and gunning it out of the driveway. </p><p>Just as they turned the corner, she saw the flashing red light in the rearview mirror. The van was racing a few yards in front of them. Somehow, they actually made it. She relaxed against the seat, closing her eyes. But something still gnawed away in the back of her mind.</p><p>“She’s a beauty, huh?”</p><p>It took Kiara a moment to realize he was talking about his junker of a car. A faint pop sounded from the exhaust.</p><p>“This can’t be safe to drive,” she said.</p><p>“Come on, Kie. I got it all checked out. You think I’d be driving it if I didn’t think it was okay?”</p><p>“Yes, actually. I do.”</p><p>JJ scoffed. “You should have more faith in me.”</p><p>“You should have more concern for your own safety.”</p><p>“Where’s the fun in that?”</p><p>“I’m being serious, JJ,” Kiara said. She really didn’t intend to change the tone of the conversation, but she was. “At least let me check it out sometime.”</p><p>He glanced over at her, and his expression softened. “Yeah...okay.”</p><p>She smiled lightly, grateful that he chose now to be uncharacteristically obstinate. </p><p>“Eyes on the road.”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am.” He stiffened in his seat and straightened his arms.</p><p>John B’s van was out of sight now, probably en route to Sarah’s house. Kiara leaned against the window, staring out as they whizzed by trees and Kook mansions. Considering how rarely JJ had been to her house, she was surprised, and impressed, at how well he knew the way without any direction. Even she wasn’t accustomed to how most of the houses looked more or less the same. </p><p>Her thoughts drifted back to the course of events at the party, specifically what happened when she was alone in Aaron Crowley’s room. The scarecrow mask that wasn’t JJ. Realistically, she knew there were over a hundred people there. Any number of guys could’ve had the exact same costume as him. But there was something so off-putting about the way he didn’t speak—whoever he was. Maybe now that they were gone, her mind would give it a rest.</p><p>“Kie?”</p><p>She lifted her head to face him again, but his gaze was still on the road.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I...uh,” He ran a hand through his hair, tousling it so there was a strand hanging over his forehead. She resisted the urge to reach over and move it. “I’m sorry about...you know...what happened last night.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Kiara wasn’t expecting him to open that book again, much less for that to be his reaction.</p><p>“Yeah, it just...I shouldn’t have done it. We were both...yeah. I’m sorry,” he said.</p><p>“Well...it takes two to tango.” She laughed, though without any feeling behind it. </p><p>Silence fell over them for the rest of the ride, aside from the low volume of the radio playing some country song neither of them bothered to change. Kiara couldn’t believe that mere hours ago, she was dying to talk to him. Now she would give anything to go back and leave everything up in the air. Although it would’ve weighed heavily on her mind, she’d rather that than the tight knot in her stomach. It wasn’t rejection exactly, but it sure stung like it.</p><p>Now that she thought about it, it was all ridiculous to begin with. As long as she had known JJ, she never saw him with the same girl twice. Even Kiara never expected anything more after hooking up with someone. Whether it was once, or twice, or more, it just happened however it happened. Maybe having sex with JJ was just that. The fact that, this time, it was her best friend was new and unfamiliar, and it made sense that she wouldn’t know what to do about it. They would have to go through the rest of their lives with the knowledge that it happened. It wasn’t something either of them could take back, even if they wanted to. She only hoped that some time in the near future, she could just let it go as easily as he seemed to. </p><p>As if nothing else had gone terribly wrong all evening, the truck broke down at a stoplight.</p><p>“No, no, no.” JJ frantically searched the dashboard, the ignition, the gear shift, but everything was off.</p><p>“Fuck,” he said, slamming his hands down on the wheel.</p><p>“I told you.” Kiara knew it was anything but helpful, but still felt the need to say it.</p><p>“Not now, Kie.” He got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. </p><p>Kiara sighed, then followed him to the front where he popped the hood. </p><p>“This doesn’t make any sense,” he said weakly, rolling up his sleeves while he examined. </p><p>“Did you check the alternator? Maybe Bobby forgot to charge it before he gave it to you.”</p><p>“No, he wouldn’t do that,” he mumbled, fiddling with the distributor cap. </p><p>“Well, what about—”</p><p>JJ pulled his head out and snapped. “Kie! You really think I didn’t check everything out myself?” </p><p>“That’s not what I’m saying!” Kiara was shouting now, too. “I’m just trying to help, okay? Clearly something is wrong with it.”</p><p>“Nothing is wrong with it!”</p><p>“Oh, really? Then why did it break down?”</p><p>“How the fuck should I know? It’s a piece of shit.”</p><p>Evidently, they both forgot why they were even arguing in the first place, because they were interrupted by a car honking behind them before driving around the truck.</p><p>“Yeah, keep driving, dipshit!” JJ yelled. “Hey, thanks for the help by the way!”</p><p>“JJ, that’s not helping,” Kiara said impatiently. “Let’s just try to get it off the road first. I’ll get in and steer and you push from the back, okay?”</p><p>He stared at her for a moment, and she caught the small quirk of his lip.</p><p>“Okay,” he said. “Be careful with her, though.”</p><p>Kiara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”</p><p>She climbed into the driver’s seat, instinctively reaching for the keys before remembering they were useless now. So she placed her hands firmly on the wheel, checking for JJ in the rearview mirror. He gave her a thumbs up, hunched over and ready to push. Turning the wheel right, she felt the car move forward. With only one person, it took longer than expected, but eventually he managed to get them onto the grass, and then she straightened out and put the gear back into park. </p><p>“So, next step is calling a tow truck,” Kiara said, meeting up with him again at the back of the truck. </p><p>JJ groaned, putting a fist to his forehead. </p><p>“We have to, JJ. This thing isn’t going to move on its own. Besides, I’ll pay for it.”</p><p>“No you won’t,” he said. “It’s my car.”</p><p>“Don’t argue.” She took out her phone, searching online for the right number to call, then held it to her ear.</p><p>Once she scheduled the tow, they sat in the truck, waiting. They picked up right where they left off ten minutes ago, which is to say, nowhere. JJ drummed his fingers along the door, then pushed his seat so he could lean back and close his eyes. Kiara looked out the window up at the stars—light-years away, glistening, tranquil. </p><p>When she turned around, she expected to find JJ sound asleep, but instead he was already looking at her. He quickly closed his eyes again, and she felt a small tug in her chest. A glimmer of hope.</p><p>Before she could open her mouth, he spoke first.</p><p>“Hey, what happened back at the party, by the way? You said something about the mask.” </p><p>Again, not what she was expecting. </p><p>“Oh, um, I don’t know,” Kiara said. “It was weird. I was alone in that room, and I was calling for you, because I wasn’t sure where you went. Then I saw you with that mask, or at least, I thought it was you trying to scare me again or something. I dropped my phone and by the time I picked it up again, whoever it was, was gone.”</p><p>“Huh. Could’ve been anyone who found it on the floor, I guess.” But she sensed his hesitation.</p><p>“Yeah. I guess so.”</p><p>She’d rather not entertain alternative theories, anyway. </p><p>“So you were asking for me?” JJ raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing across his face.</p><p>“Are you kidding me? <em> That’s </em> what you latched onto from all that?”</p><p>“What I’m hearing is you were in distress, and you called for your fearless knight in shining armor to come to your rescue.”</p><p>“Do you want a stool so you can reach higher?”</p><p>“Oh, JJ!” He feigned a feminine voice. “Please help me! Mr. Scarecrow is going to kill me and you’re all I have!” </p><p>“That’s literally not what happened,” Kiara said. Despite her irritation, she couldn’t help but laugh at his performance.</p><p>“Wherefore art thou, JJ Maybank?” He raised his hand up for dramatic effect. “Please take this handkerchief as a token of my gratitude!”</p><p>“Except you didn’t exactly show up, did you?” She reached over to push his arm down, but he resisted.</p><p>“JJ! Please! I can’t live without your devilishly handsome face!” </p><p>Now she pushed back even harder, but he grabbed both her wrists to keep her at bay. JJ was laughing like a maniac now, which only instigated her further. She wasn’t sure what she was trying to do exactly—really anything to get him to shut up. Before she knew it, though, she was with him in the driver’s seat and they were a mess of limbs. Kiara found herself thinking about last night, which progressed relatively the same way, aside from the help of a few more drinks. She tried not to think about what came next.</p><p>When she finally pinned his arms back against the back of his seat, they were both still laughing, trying to catch their breath. Her smile faded as she watched his gaze fall to her mouth, pausing before he met her eyes. Kiara’s heart hammered in her chest—a beat, and another, and then he lunged forward to kiss her. </p><p>She fell against him, wrapping her arms around his neck with her hands in his hair. Now history really was repeating itself, and she wasn’t going to complain. </p><p>But then he quickly pulled away, shaking his head.</p><p>“Uh, I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Yes you should’ve,” she said, pulling his face to hers again. </p><p>This time, he didn’t hold back. She felt his shoulders relax beneath her arms and his hands rest on her hips. He smelled less of weed now, and more of motor oil and sweat, but he tasted like pure bliss. Suddenly, everything that happened the past few hours felt worth it, because at least in that moment, Kiara was perfectly content.</p><p>The next morning was a different story. </p><p>After breaking curfew for reasons she would never admit to her parents, she slept soundly. When Kiara woke up and padded into the kitchen, she found the morning newspaper spread out on the table. The front page article chilled her to the bone.</p><p><b> <em>Aaron Crowley Found Alive Outside Childhood Home</em></b>. </p><p>
  <em> After responding to a disturbance call, a man was detained by police last night in the surrounding area of the Crowley manor. Presumed dead since 1992, Aaron Crowley was found wearing a scarecrow mask. Upon searching the house, police also found a body in the attic, which has yet to be identified, but is believed to be that of Aaron Crowley, Sr. </em>
</p><p>Kiara tossed the paper into the recycling bin and decided to skip breakfast. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I knew when I was outlining this that John B and Sarah had to be Sandy and Danny Zuko because it's so on brand for them. I struggled with Kie's costume for a while, but eventually landed on Jennifer's Body because dressing up as a demon who eats men is just so very her (and I also just have this feeling that she likes to go all out on Halloween). Honestly, coming up with all the costumes was the best part of this for me lol.</p><p>Anyways, thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always very appreciated! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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